Spartan Enclave
** ** |era= |established=2570 |fragmented= |reorganized= |dissolved= |restored= }} The Spartan Enclave is a commune on the planet made up entirely of Spartan residents. Initially formed as a measure to shield retired Spartans from the scrutiny of society, it served as the 's primary method of secluding its highly controversial super-soldiers from the rest of the UNSC and eventually came to be the base of operations for still-active SPARTAN-II and SPARTAN-III personnel. Located on the land that had once been the , where the SPARTAN-IIs had trained as children, the enclave gave Spartans the freedom to create their own lives within the confines of a highly classified existence. The resulting development of a distinctly Spartan culture that integrated their affinity for war with some semblance of normal life led to unprecedented outcomes, namely the desire to be more independent as opposed to maintaining total dependence on the ONI. This aspiration would later progress into far more than wishful thinking, albeit at a painful cost, and the Spartans would step forward as humanity's leaders in time of great peril. While the enclave's welfare is managed by the highest-ranking SPARTAN-II, Rear Admiral Frederic Alfaro (SPARTAN-104), many other Spartans have adopted the policy of contesting certain decisions made by their masters. This foray into the political realm has done much to shape the enclave's inner workings, with the more open-minded Spartans providing voices of protest while those more bound to duty remain silently obedient. Those Spartans who have retired are still recognized by rank and adhere to the chain of command, but are not obligated to participate in missions assigned to active enclave members by the ONI. This divide between those who have put away the sword and those who continue to wield it is the root of many struggles by Spartans to truly define their identity now that humanity's impending extinction is no more. Despite these differences, the enclave is at its core a cohesive unit, made up of brothers and sisters whose lives are centered around protecting one another and the human race. The active component of the enclave, Task Force 117, operates as a Tier Zero special forces unit; in contrast to the Spartans' role on the front lines during the Human-Covenant War, these Spartans act as surgically precise weapons of the most effective form of warfare, ending conflicts before they even have the chance to begin. As such, they report directly to Vice Admiral Serin Osman, head of the ONI. Until 2577, the enclave was comprised of strictly SPARTAN-IIs and IIIs, but came to accept the genetically altered child soldiers of Project NEMESIS into their ranks and eventually a small cadre of specially picked civilian recruits. In addition to these boosts, several Spartan couples produced children which grew up within the confines of the enclave; some of these opted to endure the rigorous training and augmentations that enabled them to emulate their parents, while others performed less drastic roles in supporting the organization. To train these up-and-coming Spartans, willing trainers were portioned into teams: Red, Blue, Green, and Gray. These "schools" continue to persist and have even aided in defining the specific disparities that exist between groups of Spartans. =History= Post-war Background 2553 marked a turning point for the role Spartan-II and Spartan-III super-soldiers played in the UNSC. Physically, the Spartans were still capable of superhuman feats on the battlefield and exhibited little sign of slowing. Psychologically, however, many of them exhibited traits indicative of post-traumatic stress, emotional instability, and mild to moderate avoidant and antisocial personality disorders. As the Spartan-IV Program grew in size and popularity and reduced the immediate need for Spartan-II and III personnel in the field, extensive time and resources were dedicated to ensuring that any and all psychological issues were addressed; as a result, the second and third generations of Spartans found themselves “swept under the rug,” removed from all but the most classified operations. Having ceased to exist outside of the ONI's black ops theater, the Spartan-IIs and IIIs quickly became a subject of increasing controversy for those in command, as they now required constant therapy and could become liable at any time. While some of them had participated in training Spartan-IVs, full integration into S-IV never happened due to friction between trainers and trainees; the stark difference between Halsey's Spartans and their fourth-generation counterparts grew ever more apparent, and the II's were soon isolated into their own small unit. Former Spartan-II Serin Osman, now head of ONI, wielded them selectively as precise instruments of the most elite warfare; removed from the battlefield, their job now consisted of ending wars before they even had the chance to begin, eliminating select targets to prevent escalation of hostilities. By the early 2560's, Spartans Maria-062 and Jorge-052 had retired and relocated to Beta Gabriel, where they served as security detail for Project ATLAS, the UNSC's initiative to reterraform Reach. As they were the first two Spartan-IIs to both retire and survive the war, their progress outside of the military was heavily monitored; when Spartan Gray Team also made the decision to retire, ONI dispatched them to Beta Gabriel as well, in hopes that two reasonably well-adjusted Spartans would help with Gray's assimilation into the project. In addition to ensuring ATLAS would be well-secured, the Spartans bonded well and demonstrated adaptation to the slower-paced lifestyle that interested their ONI observers. Spartans B292 and B091 were also dispatched to Beta Gabriel following Lucy's discharge, and were accepted into the little group without incident. Over the course of a decade, several Spartan-IIs and IIIs joined them, increasing their numbers to double digits. The work, which varied from patrolling Beta Gabriel to traveling on ships from the base to Reach itself, brought its share of hazardous situations, and the Spartans proved themselves an invaluable resource time and time again. Returning Home By 2575, Reach had entered Stage Three of resettlement, and the Spartans of Beta Gabriel found themselves the recipients of an unexpected gift from the ONI: the land that had once been their old training grounds. This gift was actually the result of action taken by Rear Admiral Frederic Alfaro, formerly known simply as Frederic-104; as he maintained ties with the Spartans of Beta Gabriel, he used his unique position as one of Serin Osman's closest subordinates to convey Spartan interests to her and acquire favors on their behalf. While some UNSC senior officers saw bestowing the rank of Admiral on a Spartan as folly, Fred had risen to a position of considerable authority following the end of the War, his special warfare expertise winning him support; these supporters were quick to question why one of the Navy's most effective fighters, after almost half a century of service and a dazzling record, had not merited promotion beyond Captain. Exposure to ONI's internal machinations and continual political shifting groomed the Spartan into a somewhat aloof but brilliant leader, whom Osman viewed as both asset and potential enemy; to keep him on her side, she shielded him from opposition which favored restricting Spartan ranks in the name of keeping them controlled. As such, Fred and his comrades Captain Kelly-087 and Commander Linda-058 became symbols of Spartan leadership within the Naval Intelligence community, and spearheaded the endeavor for a Spartan residence. The retired Spartans accepted the offer and participated in the construction of facilities on their new land, assisting in the installation of military infrastructure to accommodate those Spartans who had not yet formally left active service with the UNSC. Camp Dawson served three purposes at once following its swift completion: as a home for retired Spartans, it provided the isolation from society that ensured there would be no media inquiries or unwanted incidents; as a post for Spartan-IIs and IIIs still serving, it provided them with facilities tailored to Spartan needs and a place to come home to; and as an ONI research facility, it allowed the ONI to both assist and observe the Spartans, and to conduct research that would benefit Spartans in the field. The still-active Spartans formed Task Force 117, commanded by Fred, whose authority enabled him to negotiate with Osman and thus influence how the task force would be used. The camp remained shielded from outsiders thanks to ONI, which had also begun excavating former Forerunner dig sites in the near vicinity and kept the entire area under the strictest security to prevent civilians or enemies from discovering it. While Spartan retirees were not permitted to keep their powered armor, they were recompensed well for participating in tests on new and upcoming variants of MJOLNIR that would go to S-IV and still-active members of the enclave. Project: NEMESIS - A New Breed In 2577, the shutdown of Project: NEMESIS and the exposure of ONI Subsection XIII's betrayal brought significant change to the Spartan enclave; as NEMESIS had used Spartan-II DNA to create genetically engineered children, there were twenty-eight surviving subjects roughly ten years old who had been training for combat since they could walk, and six who were roughly three. The Spartans were shocked to learn of the project, but accepted Osman's proposition to “adopt” the subjects without question. To handle training them, the Spartans had their responsibilities shifted from missions to DI duty by Osman, who encouraged Fred to focus his attention on ensuring the children could be productive assets instead of failed experiments. The twenty-eight ten-year-olds were divided into four groups of seven, each group going to a separate “team” which would oversee their initiation into Spartanhood. The four teams – Red, Blue, Green and Gray – were comprised of retired and still-active Spartans, who dedicated themselves to not only instructing the children but to being their family as well. The six three-year-olds were taken in by Maria-062, as they had not yet undergone the alterations which made the ten-year-olds unsuitable for any sort of “normal” life. By 2582, the enclave had twenty-eight more Spartans in its active ranks, a boost that expanded the criteria for potential missions and prompted Osman to yield more concessions in the enclave's favor. Aside from Project NEMESIS, the enclave gained new members when Spartan couples produced offspring. ONI's attempt to persuade Spartan parents that putting their infants up for adoption for everyone's good did not succeed; the Spartans kept their children and raised them apart from the military lifestyle, teaching them wilderness survival skills and self-defense without indoctrinating them to become Spartans in their parents' footsteps. Unsurprisingly, few of the children wanted to be anything else despite their parents' efforts, and some of them elected to undergo the same rigorous training as the Nemesis recruits. The notion of breeding Spartans intrigued Serin Osman, who had granted the enclave a surprising amount of freedom following their success with NEMESIS and kept careful tabs on them in order to steer the newfound growth in a direction that would benefit her the most. Fred made good use of this and informed Osman that training the Nemesis children had made the Spartans realize that they enjoyed continuing their legacy, and that their isolation from the rest of humanity had resulted in a peculiar outcome: most of them wanted to keep their unique culture alive rather than let it die off as they passed on, having developed a sense of pride in how they had made their own little society out of something meant to be shameful exile. The possibility of obtaining more recruits seemed ludicrous, but Osman kept the notion in mind as she became increasingly fond of possessing her own private army of super-soldiers. =Society= Enlistment Training Schools The Spartan education is shared among four schools, which the trainees are sorted into: Red Red Team's curriculum is the most strict of the schools, since they expect their students to emerge as perfect Spartans, stoic and always in control during battle. They value discipline, strength, and placing one's duty as a soldier over their personal life. They have a strong dynamic, and emphasis that its members should be uniform, capable of mastering any skill. This rigidity is due in part to the younger age of its instructors, who emerged from cryo-sleep in 2569 at the biological age of roughly twenty and have not had time to distance themselves from the indoctrination of their youth. Red is taught by Jerome-092, Alice-130, and Douglas Harrell. Blue Like Red, Blue values disciplined soldiers who work as a team, but prefer that its Spartans have more individual skills. Like the original Blue Team, its Spartans tend to possess definite traits which distinguish each Spartan from the others and serve to strengthen the team as a whole. Rather than encourage Red Team's unquestioning loyalty, Blue Team's instructors seek to provide an understanding of their duty without resorting to the absolute indoctrination they experienced as children. Blue is taught by Frederic Alfaro, Kelly-087, and Linda-058. Green Green has the education of its students emphasize both combat and life building. It includes courses on law, culture, and literature, as well activities like building projects. Its goal to create Spartans that function dually as both warriors and diplomats, supplementing skill in combat with skill in relating to fellow humans. Green is taught by Jorge Csaba, Maria Cortez-Csaba, and Jun Napayshni. Gray Gray is the most unconventional of the schools, and the most adaptable concerning doctrine; as its instructors were primarily used in missions far behind enemy lines, the Spartans it produces are more individualistic and innovative than their counterparts. Gray teaches its students to be capable of living deep in the most extreme conditions, and instills talents which enable them to work unsupervised for long periods of time. Honor and legacy values are deemphasized in favor of pragmatism and efficiency, and the team dynamic has been compared even by themselves to a "pack". It is taught by Jai Milošević, Adriana Milošević, and Michael Dhale. Noble =Quotes= }}